Clay Stories: A Ceramics Symposium – In-Person and Virtual

Colonial Williamsburg is pleased to host the 2026 bi-annual ceramics conference, in collaboration with MESDA (Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts) for this year’s symposium entitled: Clay Stories. Every object has multiple stories layered through time as it passes from raw materials in the hands of makers, to finished vessel, to single owner or multiple stewards, and from useful utilitarian piece to archaeological fragment or prized possession mounted in a collector’s curio cabinet or in a museum’s case. Clay Stories weaves together history and research shared by curators, scholars, archaeologists, and potters. From hands-on workshops and special tours to a pottery demonstration, to lectures by renown leaders in the field, there is something for every ceramic enthusiast in this exciting program!